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Home , 5th Army (German Empire), Battle of Verdun, Douaumont, Douaumont ossuary, Erich von Falkenhayn, Fort Douaumont

February 21st ––– – – – – – – – – – – D e c e m b e r 1 8 th

Hell cannot be as terrible as this. 1916 –French soldier

The outbreak of

At the beginning of the 20th century, a strug- The young, united German state demanded a new, more beneficial divi- gle for power in the world led to increased sion of the colonies and challenged tensions between hostile states, particularly the maritime power of Great Britain by , Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman expanding its own fleet.

Empire who were opposed to Anglo-French The Balkans remained the most tense domination. region in Europe. The countries that had gained independence not so long before – Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria – were trying to strengthen their positions at the expense of their neighbors. Bulgaria at the expense of collapsing Turkey and developing Greece, Serbia at the expense of Austria-Hungary, a country with a large Slavic minority.

The area of contention between the two countries was Bosnia – with as its capital, previously annexed by the Habsburg kingdom.

June 28th, 1914

GREAT RUSSIA Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the BRITAN Austro-Hungarian throne, is shot dead in GERMANY Sarajevo by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. This starts a sequence of events that will lead to the outbreak of the Great War, now known as World War I (1914–1918). AUSTRIA-HUNGARY

SERBIA ITALY BULGARIA

TURKEY Outbreak of war 1914 The The Triple Alliance The System of Alliances

July 28 August 3rd August 5th August 10 August 23 Austria-Hungary Germany declares Austria-Hungary France declares war Japan enters the declares war on war on France declares war on on Austria-Hungary war on the side of Serbia Russia the Entente allies

August 1st August 3rd and 4th August 12 October 29 Germany declares Germany crosses the border of Britain declares Turkey enters the war on Russia neutral and declares war on Austria- war on the side of war on it -Hungary. the

August 4th Great Britain, as a guarantor of Belgian independence, declares war on Germany

Before the – Forces, Leadership and Weaponry

France Germany French propaganda graphic – Entente soldiers fight the German monster, Le Petite Journal daily, 1 140 000 1 250 000 soldiers soldiers

388 500 302 days field field artillery How long the Battle of 244 700 Verdun lasted large-caliber large-caliber Gen. Philippe Pétain artillery artillery Gen.

= 100 10 square Gen. Georges Nivelle Gen. kilometres Erich von Falkenhayn orders In 1915, the French command the German , led by The battle was withdraws most of its guns from the German heir to the throne, fought over an Verdun, recognizing the area Crown Prince Wilhelm, to area of no more as a point of minor strategic attack Verdun without order- than 10 square importance. ing the capture of the fortress kilometres. itself. Prince Wilhelm decides Statistically, himself to order his troops to losses on both take the around sides amounted the city. Verdun is greatly to 70 thousand damaged, but the Germans 226 170 men per 1 square never capture it. The Meat Grinder aircraft aircraft kilometre.

Verdun was to become a "meat grinder" for the French. The Germans, however, suffered similar losses.

I came here with 175 people. At the end there were 34 – some fell into madness, there is nothing more to be said…

– French soldier

[…] Through glasses we can see men maddened, men covered with earth and blood, falling one upon the other. When the first wave of the assault is decimated, the ground is dotted with heaps of corpses, but the second wave is already pressing on.

– French soldier

Artillery and heavy machine guns

During the , 80% of the casualties were Maschinengewehr 08/15 caused by artillery fire. The soldiers who survived A German light machine gun designed in that, were then decimated 1915 and largely popular among the German with machine gun fire during units during WWI. Calibre: 7.92 mm/ Effective subsequent attacks on fortified range: 800 m./ Rate of fire: 450 rounds/min. enemy positions.

source: Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum

Verdun – a City Fortress

For the Germans, the Verdun fortress Located on the bank of the River, had been an obstacle in their march on Verdun was surrounded by a ring of the West for centuries. After the defeat of fortifications. The hilly terrain made Verdun France in their war with in 1871, combat operations difficult. The city was the city became a border fortress. In the surrounded by 19 forts and 47 fortified summer of 1914, when the Battle of the observation points armed with 155 mm took place, Verdun resisted every and 75 mm guns, machine guns and German attack preventing its enemies manned by approx. 65 thousand soldiers. from entering the heart of France from the east. If it had fallen, Paris would have fallen too, and thus the war would have ended. The attack on Verdun forced the French army command to throw all human resources available into the Fort de Le Mort Homme defense of the city. Hill 304 THIAUMONT

War of Annihalation Fort de Vaux FLEURY The author of the plan, known as Gericht (meaning 'judgment'), was the chief of the Fort de Souville German general staff, Erich von Falkenhayn. He intended to "bleed France white." Long-lasting, massive artillery fire on an unprecedented scale was meant to destroy VERDUN the French army and any subsequent units sent to reinforce the front. The remnants were to be pushed back to the Meuse River and trapped there. At the beginning of 1916, the Verdun region was surrounded by German troops on three sides. The Germans controlled all of the access roads to the city.

Verdun – panoramic view after the war, 1919

In the 7 weeks leading up to the The German preparations were attack, the Germans built new protected by nearly 170 aircraft, rail lines to deliver people and which made it impossible for supplies to the front – 1.3 thou- the French air force to conduct sand trains were put to use for reconnaissance operations. this purpose.

Voie Sacrée

The French had only one way of supplying the front – the so-called 'sacred' road (French Voie Sacrée). Several thousand trucks and hun- dreds of other vehicles with supplies and tens of thousands of soldiers passed along this route.

Battle – Course Of Events, Turning Points, Phases

Phase I During the first German offensive German shelling, February 21st – March 4th 2 million shells were fired. In the morning, a 9-hour German bombardment of French positions begins. 40 million to 60 million shells were fired throughout In the afternoon, the German infantry start their the battle assault. The Germans occupy several towns and gain land. French lines of defense are in turmoil.

th On February 25 , without much resistance from the = 1000 French, the Germans occupy a strategically impor- tant point – .

Further fighting takes place over the village of Douaumont, which is occupied by the Germans at the beginning of March.

General Philippe Pétain takes command at Verdun. He reorganizes defenses, deploys artillery on the left bank of the Meuse. He also introduces a new system of rotation of French first line units.

F e b ru ar y 21

18 er b m Dece

VERDUN

Ju ly 1 Phase II 2

Battles for Le Mort Homme and Hill 304 March 6th – May 31st

Le Mort Homme German Attack on Côte 304 (Hill 304) and Owing to thousands The Germans cross the Meuse and fiercely attack the An area of less than 2 km2 is continuously bom- of shells falling, Côte 304 would hill and fort Le Mort Homme (Dead Man). However, barded by 500 German guns for 36 hours. Incurring eventually become the French hold back their onslaught with machine huge losses of their own, the Germans finally con- 7 metres lower. gun fire from Côte 304 (Hill 304). The Germans then quer the hill. On March 8th, the German attack to cap- decide to take Hill 304 first. ture the enormously fortified Fort Vaux collapses.

On May 8th, an ammuni- tion depot explodes in Fort Douaumont – 700 Germans are killed on the spot. The ignition is caused by a stove which the German soldiers were using to cook meals.

After 3 months of fighting and colos- sal losses on both sides, at the end of May, the Germans conquer the Le Mort Homme hill.

Verdun Hell

Murderous take place over every meter of the terrain. One of the trenches is so full Soldiers get bogged down in mud, drink from bullet craters, and the of the wounded and dead wounded die in agony. bodies, the attackers had to use a footbridge over it to launch an attack.

– A soldier's account

Phase III

Fighting for Fort Vaux March 8th – June 23rd

The Germans attack Fort Vaux. Between March 8th and 19th, they are repelled by massive fire from machine guns. There is no water supply in the besieged fort – the soldiers have to lick water off the walls to survive. Panic attacks are rampant.

On May 22nd, the French counterattack with bayo- nets to regain Fort Daumont. However, they suffer significant losses.

On June 7th, after a 5-day , the Germans occupy Fort Vaux. The very next day the French launch a 10-fold bigger counterattack in order to retake the fort – to no avail.

70% Rotation of Soldiers of the entire French The Germans hastily replace the fallen with Barbed wire army fought at young, inexperienced soldiers. The French list their divisions according to a previously Verdun at various Coils of barbed wire effectively hinder developed system dubbed „Noria” (eng. edthe infantry attacks. The barbed wire was times. treadmill) – which assumed the rotation of stretched in front of the trenches far enough units at specific intervals. away to prevent the enemy from successfully throwing grenades. The wire entanglements often withstood intense fire – after bom- bardments, the tangled coils of barbed wire were no less effective. The Tunnel Wars

Opposing troops often dug tunnels July 1st, 1916 under enemy positions to detonate A British mine was detonated explosives. The longest ones were during the battle of the , over 600 metres long and about leaving a crater 30 m deep and 100 m wide. 40 metres deep. June 7th, 1917 At Messines, Belgium, a series of 455 tons of detonations killed around 10,000. German British tunel soldiers. mine explosion

Pigeon heroes

The last post pigeon, No. 787–15, delivered the last message from Fort Vaux and died of exhaustion. The bird was decorated with the Legion of Honor and was given the honora- ble title of "Mort pour la France" – "He died for France".

Phase IV Second Assault The Germans bombard the French lines The last German offensive with gas. Despite the resistance of the French, they manage to capture all of the rd th June 23 – September 6 town of Fleury. On July 12th, the Germans unsuccessfully attack Sauville fort. The First Assault front line changes hour by hour. On this day, General Nivelle says the On June 22nd, the Germans begin their artillery bam- words that have now become legendary: bardment. 230 artillery fire over 100,000 poison gas missiles. The French, however, manage to repel the attack. The German attack on Fort Sauville collapses, but Fleury is partially destroyed by the Germans. The Ils ne July 1st, 1916 French bomb German positions in the town. passeront The Germans approach Verdun, but in the evening In the north, on the Somme, the fighting stops. In the sweltering heat, the sol- Anglo-French forces launch an diers lack ammunition and water. pas! offensive, thus relieving the The French retreat through Verdun. There is chaos, front at Verdun. The French lose They will not pass! 200,000 soldiers there (killed, trenches are dug in the city. The Germans are pinned wounded and missing). down by the French artillery, while the French launch local counterattacks.

Third Assault

On August 1st, the Germans attack again, wanting to fortify the Fleury-Thiaumont section. Thiaumont changes hands many times. Troops on both sides are extremely exhausted. The Germans lack ammunition, artillery and fresh sup- plies. The front line is practically non-existent. The Mort pour battle area is covered with mud strewn with craters and the decaying bodies of the fallen. la France The towns that died for France

The picturesque town of Fleury changed hands 16 times. It was The number of defectors increases, the eventually razed to the ground front soldiers become numb by seeing and never rebuilt. Several the bodies without heads, without legs, other towns near Verdun had a shot through the belly, with blown similar fate. away foreheads, with holes in their chests, hardly recognisable flab’s, pale and dirty in the thick yellow brown mud, which covers the battle field…

– A German officer

Mud, heat, thirst, dirt, rats,

General Falkenhayn resigns. the smell of sweat and Paul von Hindenburg and General Erich corpses, the foul smell of Ludendorff take command. excrement and terrible fear... On September 2nd, Hindenburg orders the cessation of German operations near – A soldier's account Verdun..

The Trench Wars The trenches were dug in "zigzags" to prevent the enemy Phase V The initial maneuvering war was from firing along the entire largely replaced by a trench war. length of the trench. The area The soldiers spent days, weeks between the trenches of the French counteroffensive and months in the trenches. two opposing sides was known st th Diseases (dysentery, trench as "no man's land". October 21 – December 15 foot) spread, troop morale decreased, panic attacks and cases of insanity were frequent. French artillery begins a massive shelling of German positions. On October 24th, the French regain 3 kms of the area lost at the beginning of the battle. They also regain Fort Douaumont, abandoned by the Germans.

On November 2nd, French forces enter Fort Vaux, which was demolished by the Germans. By mid-December, the French have pushed German forces back to their starting positions of .

The Battle of Verdun -- months of sensless, ghastly attrition in a battle over a few square miles -- practically ends where it began.

After the battle

Direct Effects

The German offensive ends in total disas- Long-Term Effects ter. But Erich von Falkenhayn's main goal of bleeding out French forces is largely After the fighting, the vicinity achieved. The terrible sacrifices of both of Verdun was considered a so-called red zone – an area fighting sides are futile – neither side excluded from all human manages to move the front line, gain or activity. There is still human regain any territory. and animal debris and unex- The heroic defense of the French at ploded bombs in the ground Verdun consolidates further French and the area is still chemically efforts to defeat the Germans. On the contaminated. other hand, the enormity of the losses causes a noticeable decline in the morale on the part of the French army and in French wider society.

The battles of Verdun and the The Buried Somme in 1916, as well as the in the first half of 1917, almost bled the French This man is in his foxhole army to death. The army was on the verge of open rebellion. Buried alive; It took both ruthlessness, and He’s barely breathing, also the intellect of Verdun’s hero, General Philippe Pétain, With his bare hands, he digs out the to stop the decline of his army and last until the first troops of earth. the US army landed in France, […] which in 1918 finally managed to tilt the scales of victory to The earth collapses, cracking limbs, the Entente’s advantage.

The bloody stream runs faster, American propaganda poster encouraging Americans to join the ranks of US Army Making the ground ever more viscous. Soon he scratches out other matter Spongy and wet. Despite the bloodbath at Verdun and on the Somme, life The spongy matter is human. in Paris went on as if there were no war. There were revues and theaters, people having fun in Pierre Jean Jouve, Les Enterrés, amusement parks. The stars of from the volume of poems; Danse des morts, z 1917 the Parisian stage continued to triumph, including the famous Mistinguette, performing at the famous Moulin Rouge.

Losses Commemoration

France Germany The Memorial de Verdun museum was erected on the site of the destroyed vil- 100,000 lage of Fleury-devant-Douaumont. fallen and missing The , built in 1932, commemorates the unknown victims of the battle. It contains the remains of approx. 150,000 unidentified French and German soldiers found on the battlefield.

377,000 337,000 The remains of an unknown soldier all together all together were transferred from the Battlefield of Verdun, and laid to rest in 1920 under the in Paris, where the following inscription was placed: THere lies a French soldier who died for 162,300 the Homeland, 1914–1918 fallen and missing Józef Piłsudski, the Marshal of , awarded the French unknown hero rest- ing in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier the Order of Virtuti Militari (1922), as well as to the city of Verdun (1921).

Compiled by Karol Szejko, Scientific consultation dr hab. Karol Polejowski Graphic design Natalia Gawryluk